Complex ideas are built upon simple ones.

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on. I have done a fair share of DIY projects during my lifetime. For example, I have painted my house. I have done my own moving and worked in the garden. I have fixed so many things in the house. This not counting the innumerable IKEA…

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why? I am not a big fan of banning anything. For example, I am not in favor of banning books. I often don’t agree with most things that other people write. But it’s their right to say it. The same…

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months? It all started more than 2 years ago. I decided to create this blog for several reasons, most of them deeply personal. But, I haven’t always been constant. Right now I am in a 54-day streak and feeling very proud. After six…

What advice would you give to your teenage self? All in all, I think my teenage self was on the right track. I was a dedicated student in my early teenage years. When I was 16 years old I started working pretty hard for my age. And when I turned 18 I went to live…

What bores you? I love a challenge! A teacher once mentioned something to me. I only really paid attention to his classes when there was some hard problem to be solved. Specially if my other classmates were not capable of figuring it out. And that’s true. If it is something easy, or that I already…

What is your favorite drink? Caipirinha is the Brazilian national drink, and deservedly so. More specifically, it originated in the state of São Paulo, where I came from. Unsurprisingly, it’s my favorite cocktail. The word caipirinha is the diminutive of the word caipira, which in Brazilian Portuguese refers to someone from the countryside. The basic recipe asks for fresh limes cut in…

Who are your favorite people to be around? When it comes to people, I try to surround myself with loving, funny, open-minded human beings. I know I am lucky in always having friends like this by my side. Open-minded Not everyone will have the same dreams or opinions as you. And that’s OK. We live…

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you. My trip to Peru was really incredible in every way. It’s shocking how much things change in ten years! Or rather, eleven years. For this post, I went back thus far to revisit one of the trips where I walked the most.…

Write about your approach to budgeting. A rule of thumb about budgeting approaches is to spend every month less than you earn. In other words, you have to resign yourself to live within your means. That seems pretty basic but in practice may be hard to achieve. But believe me, you will do well if…

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you? I am patriotic in my way, yes. I root passionately for my country. It doesn’t matter if it’s Brazil or Canada. I cheer whenever there’s an international sport event, like the World Cup or the Olympics. When it comes to movies, Brazil goes to the…

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law? Yes, when I (kind of) smuggled my cat into Canada. Documentation for Cati There was no chance that we would leave our two cats back in Brazil when we moved to Canada. You have a lot of paperwork to prepare when you are bringing your pet to a…